US20160368209A1 - Improved stereolithography machine - Google Patents

Improved stereolithography machine Download PDF

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US20160368209A1
US20160368209A1 US15/121,480 US201515121480A US2016368209A1 US 20160368209 A1 US20160368209 A1 US 20160368209A1 US 201515121480 A US201515121480 A US 201515121480A US 2016368209 A1 US2016368209 A1 US 2016368209A1
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light beam
operating area
optical unit
area
stereolithography machine
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Ettore Maurizio Costabeber
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    • B29C67/0066—
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/30—Auxiliary operations or equipment
    • B29C64/35—Cleaning
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
    • B29C64/106—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
    • B29C64/124—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
    • B29C64/129—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask
    • B29C64/135—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
    • B29C64/255—Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/20—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
    • B29C64/264—Arrangements for irradiation
    • B29C64/268—Arrangements for irradiation using laser beams; using electron beams [EB]
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/30—Auxiliary operations or equipment
    • B29C64/386—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/30—Auxiliary operations or equipment
    • B29C64/386—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
    • B29C64/393—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C67/00—Shaping techniques not covered by groups B29C39/00 - B29C65/00, B29C70/00 or B29C73/00
    • B29C67/0088—
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y30/00—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y40/00—Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y50/00—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
    • B33Y50/02—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
    • G02B26/08—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light
    • G02B26/0816—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light by means of one or more reflecting elements
    • G02B26/0833—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light by means of one or more reflecting elements the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
    • G02B26/08—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light
    • G02B26/10—Scanning systems
    • G02B26/101—Scanning systems with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners
    • G06F17/5086—
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F30/00—Computer-aided design [CAD]
    • G06F30/10—Geometric CAD
    • G06F30/17—Mechanical parametric or variational design
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C35/00—Heating, cooling or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanising; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C35/02—Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mould
    • B29C35/08—Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mould by wave energy or particle radiation
    • B29C35/0805—Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mould by wave energy or particle radiation using electromagnetic radiation
    • B29C2035/0838—Heating or curing, e.g. crosslinking or vulcanizing during moulding, e.g. in a mould by wave energy or particle radiation using electromagnetic radiation using laser

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a stereolithography machine suited to produce a three-dimensional object through the superimposition of a plurality of layers of a base material, in the liquid or paste state, that is solidified through selective exposure to a light beam.
  • a stereolithography machine of the known type comprises a container suited to contain the base material.
  • Said machine furthermore comprises a light emitting unit configured so as to emit a light beam that is substantially circular in shape and collimated, meaning with substantially parallel rays.
  • Each layer of the three-dimensional object is solidified at the level of a predefined plane incidence area belonging to the outer surface of the base material, on which the light beam is incident.
  • the incidence area may belong to the bottom of the container that contains the base material or to the free surface of the base material itself, depending on whether the light beam arrives from below or from above with respect to the container.
  • Said machine comprises also light reflecting means that deviate the light beam selectively towards any point of the incidence area.
  • the light reflecting means are two galvanometric mirrors, which are movable in rotation according to respective mutually perpendicular axes, in such a way that it is possible to deviate the light beam according to respective mutually orthogonal planes.
  • Said machine comprises also a so-called “F-theta” lens, interposed between the light reflecting means and the incidence area.
  • Said F-theta lens makes the collimated light beam converge in such a way as to focus it on the plane incidence area, independently of the direction of the incident light beam.
  • the machine described above poses the drawback that it is particularly expensive and that, therefore, its use is mainly confined to the professional and industrial field, which makes it unsuitable for a wider range of applications.
  • the main cause of said drawback is the presence of the F-theta lens, which substantially affects the overall cost of the machine.
  • a further drawback of the F-theta lens derives from the fact that its size is related to the size of the incidence area and, therefore, to the maximum size of the three-dimensional object that can be obtained.
  • the manufacturer of the stereolithography machine must select the size of the incidence area among a limited number of predefined sizes, with the drawback that it is not possible to produce optimized stereolithography machines for all the possible applications.
  • the minimum cross section of the light beam that is focused by said F-theta lenses increases to a degree that is substantially proportional to the focal length of the same and, therefore, to the size of the incidence area, thus worsening the definition of the image that can be traced on the incidence area and therefore worsening the definition of the object.
  • the increased exploitability of the machine of the invention makes it possible to increase the flexibility and diffusion of stereolithography modelling compared to the machines of known type.
  • the reduced cost of the machine of the invention makes it particularly advantageous to increase the size of the incidence area, so that it is possible to obtain three-dimensional objects that are larger than those obtainable with the stereolithography machines of the known type.
  • the higher flexibility in the choice of the size of the incidence area makes it possible to optimize the machine based on its intended use.
  • FIG. 1 schematically shows an axonometric view of the stereolithography machine that is the subject of the invention
  • FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of the stereolithography machine shown in FIG. 1 in an operating configuration
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 show side sectional views of enlarged details of the machine shown in FIG. 1 in two respective operating configurations
  • FIG. 5 schematically shows the operating areas of the machine shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the stereolithography machine of the invention is suitable for producing a three-dimensional object through the superimposition of a plurality of layers obtained from the solidification of a base material 3 , in the liquid or paste state, arranged in a container 2 .
  • Said layers are supported by a modelling plate 18 , driven according to a vertical axis Z and suited to arrange any solidified layer of the three-dimensional object in such a position that it serves as a support for the successive layer.
  • a light emitting unit 5 configured so as to emit a light beam 6 is also provided.
  • said light emitting unit 5 comprises a laser source and a collimator of the light beam 6 .
  • said light emitting unit 5 comprises also a device suited to obtain for the collimated beam a cross section having a symmetric shape according to two mutually orthogonal axes of symmetry and preferably circular or substantially circular.
  • the stereolithography machine 1 furthermore comprises a light reflecting device 7 suited to deviate the light beam 6 and to be controlled in such a way as to make the light beam 6 be incident on any point of an incidence area 8 belonging to an external surface 4 of the base material 3 .
  • a light reflecting device 7 comprising two mirrors 7 a , 7 b that revolve independently of each other with predefined angular amplitudes around respective mutually perpendicular rotation axes X 1 , X 2 .
  • each mirror 7 a , 7 b is made rotate around the respective rotation axis through a corresponding galvanometric motor.
  • the light reflecting device 7 comprises only one mirror that revolves around two mutually independent and orthogonal axes.
  • said mirror is preferably of the so-called MOEMS type, the acronym for “Micro-opto-electro-mechanical system”.
  • said incidence area 8 is adjacent to the bottom of the container 2 .
  • This configuration is obtained with the light beam 6 incident on the container 2 from the bottom, said container having a transparent bottom in such a way as to allow the light beam 6 to reach the base material 3 .
  • the light beam 6 is incident on the top of the container 2 itself and the incidence area 8 thus belongs to the free surface of the base material 3 .
  • the machine preferably comprises a levelling device suited to give a plane shape to said free surface.
  • the area of intersection of the light beam 6 with the incidence area 8 determines the size of the area of the base material 3 that is solidified and thus determines the definition of the three-dimensional object.
  • the machine 1 comprises also a logic control unit 19 , schematically represented in FIG. 2 , configured to control the light reflecting device 7 in such a way that the light beam 6 is selectively incident on any point of the operating area 10 belonging to the incidence area 8 .
  • the incidence area 8 is determined by the operating limits of the light reflecting device 7
  • the operating area 10 is determined by the logic control unit 19 and, therefore, can be limited to a part of the incidence area 8 .
  • the stereolithography machine 1 is also provided with an optical unit 11 , configured so as to focus the light beam 6 on a focal surface 12 defined by the points where the light beam 6 , along the different directions defined by the light reflecting device 7 , has minimum cross section.
  • said focal surface 12 is defined by the combined action of the optical unit 11 , which defines the focusing distance of the light beam 6 from the light reflecting device 7 , and of the light reflecting device 7 itself, which defines the focusing direction.
  • the surface area of the cross section of the light beam 6 increases with respect to the surface area of the minimum cross section.
  • a “Gaussian light beam” means a light beam having the property just described above.
  • the generic cross section of a Gaussian light beam is conventionally defined as the wavefront area in which the intensity of the energy is higher than or equal to 1/e 2 times the maximum intensity present at the centre of the beam itself, where e is Nepero's number.
  • the cross section of the Gaussian beam is the area of the wavefront in which the intensity of the energy is higher than or equal to half the maximum intensity.
  • the minimum cross section of a convergent Gaussian beam which is defined as “waist” in technical jargon, has a surface area that is larger than zero.
  • focus does not indicate a single point, but said minimum cross section.
  • the surface area of the minimum cross section 15 of the light beam 6 obtained by focusing a Gaussian beam depends on various parameters, among which, in particular, the focal length of the optical unit 11 and the cross section of the collimated laser beam, according to the known formula:
  • w F is the diameter of the minimum cross section of the beam (“waist”)
  • ⁇ is the wavelength
  • f is the focal length of the optical unit 11
  • M 2 is the quality coefficient of the beam, which expresses the actual distribution of energy compared to the ideal case of Gaussian distribution
  • w L is the diameter of the cross section of the collimated beam that is incident on the optical unit 11 .
  • w ⁇ ( z ) w F ⁇ [ 1 + ( z ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ M 2 ⁇ ⁇ w F 2 ) 2 ] 1 / 2 ( 2 )
  • Said formula (2) highlights how a Gaussian beam converges towards and diverges from the cross section with minimum diameter w F in a way that is substantially proportional to the distance z, except for a neighbourhood of the minimum cross section, in which the geometric shape of the beam is rounded, similar to the neck of an hourglass.
  • the optical unit 11 that produces the focusing of the light beam 6 is interposed between the light emitting unit 5 and the light reflecting device 7 .
  • the optical unit 11 is arranged upstream of the light reflecting device 7 according to the direction of propagation of the light beam 6 , the latter is always incident on the same point of the optical unit 11 , independently of the point of incidence of the beam on the operating area 10 .
  • an optical unit 11 based on a common lens or set of lenses 17 arranged in series, for example of the spherical, biconvex or plano-convex type, in any case much more economical than a F-theta lens.
  • optical unit 11 Analogously to a F-theta lens, also said optical unit 11 is of the fixed type, which therefore does not require any device for moving the optical unit 11 in order to adjust the focus, to the advantage of the simple construction structure of the machine.
  • said fixed configuration of the optical unit 11 does not allow the light beam 6 to be focused on the operating area 10 .
  • the optical unit 11 focuses the light beam 6 at a constant distance from the light reflecting device 7 , independently of the direction of incidence of the light beam 6 determined by the light reflecting device 7 itself. Therefore, the focal surface 12 has a spherical rather than a plane shape, centered at the level of the light reflecting device 7 , as can be observed in FIG. 2 , which schematically represents a sectional view of the machine 1 according to a section plane passing through the centre of the operating area 10 .
  • said spherical focal surface 12 cannot coincide with the operating area 10 that is plane. Therefore, in the machine 1 of the invention, the surface area of the spot varies depending on the point of incidence on the operating area 10 , with the consequence that the surface area of the portion of the base material 3 that solidifies varies from a point to another.
  • the size of the spot increases as the distance between the focal surface 12 and the operating area 10 measured along the direction of the light beam 6 increases, in accordance with the formula (2).
  • the invention also includes the definition of the light beam 6 , of the focal surface 12 and of the operating area 10 through a suitable selection of the light emitting unit 5 and of the optical unit 11 , such that the ratio between the maximum diameter of the spot and the diameter w F of the minimum cross section 15 does not exceed 1.15.
  • the invention achieves the object to provide a stereolithography machine 1 that, in terms of both cost and performance, is particularly suitable for use in sectors that are not strictly professional or industrial.
  • said ratio between diameters is included between 1.10 and 1.15, to further advantage in terms of performance of the machine 1 .
  • the applicant who is filing the present invention has observed that the variation in the ratio within said interval can be obtained through optical units 11 that cost considerably less than a F-theta optical unit.
  • the arrangement of the optical unit 11 upstream of the light reflecting device 7 makes it possible to achieve also the object to obtain more flexibility in the selection of the size of the operating area 10 compared to the machines of known type.
  • the size of the operating area 10 for a light reflecting device 7 having a given angular movement amplitude a substantially depend on the distance of the light reflecting device 7 from the incidence area 8 , which may be easily modified, and on the availability of a lens with suitable focal length.
  • the size of the operating area 10 are determined by the lens, which is available on the market in a limited number of versions, as already explained above.
  • the light emitting unit 5 and the optical unit 11 are preferably selected by determining the diameter w L and the quality M 2 of the collimated beam, as well as the focal length f of the optical unit 11 , which make it possible to minimize the minimum diameter w F of the beam, always on condition that the diameter of the spot is maintained within the values indicated above.
  • Minimizing the minimum diameter w F while the other conditions remains the same, means minimizing also the maximum diameter of the spot and, therefore, the definition obtainable with the machine 1 .
  • minimization of w F can be performed using the formulas (1) and (2), wherein in formula (2) z must be equal to the value of the maximum distance z max between the focal surface 12 and the operating area 10 and the ratio w(z max )/w F must be equal to the maximum ratio mentioned above.
  • the optical unit 11 is never without aberrations.
  • the aberration that is relevant in this context is, in particular, the spherical aberration, which will be shortly defined simply as “aberration” here below.
  • the aberration has the effect of enlarging the focusing area of the rays of a given beam.
  • the aberration is used as a further unknown factor in the calculation for the minimization of the minimum diameter w F , considered that, for a given focal length f, several lenses with aberration values different from one another are generally available on the market.
  • the use of the aberration as unknown factor of the calculation in many cases makes it possible to obtain a minimum diameter w F that is shorter than the diameter that would be obtained considering an optical unit 11 with a pre-determined aberration, for example with the minimum aberration available on the market for a given focal length.
  • this is preferably defined in such a way as to intersect the incidence area 8 , in order to obtain a first portion 13 arranged inside the base material 3 and a second portion 14 arranged outside the base material 3 .
  • the focal surface 12 is arranged in such a way that the maximum surface area of the spot obtained when the light beam 6 is directed towards the first portion 13 is equal to the maximum surface area of the spot obtained when the light beam 6 is directed towards the second portion 14 .
  • the configuration just described above makes it possible to minimize the minimum diameter w F for an operating area 10 of a predefined size.
  • Meeting the requisite just described above means arranging the focal surface 12 with respect to the operating area 10 in such a way that the sum of the maximum distance between the first portion 13 and the operating area 10 with the maximum distance between the second portion 14 and the operating area 10 , measured along the direction of propagation of the light beam 6 , is equal to the length L of the portion of the light beam 6 that meets the condition on the maximum diameter illustrated above.
  • said portion of the light beam 6 is not arranged symmetrically with respect to the minimum cross section 15 , as would happen if there were no aberrations, but it is moved upstream with respect to the minimum cross section 15 .
  • the light reflecting device 7 is configured in such a way that the intersection between the focal surface 12 and the operating area 10 is a circumference 16 that is schematically represented in FIG. 5 together with the incidence area 8 and the operating area 10 .
  • Said circumference 16 is obtained by arranging the outer surface 4 so that it is orthogonal to the bisecting lines 9 of the overall operating angles a of the light reflecting device 7 around each one of the two axes X 1 , X 2 .
  • Said condition makes it possible to obtain a spot that is variable in an axial symmetric way around said bisecting line 9 , i.e. having the same geometry for all directions of incidence that form the same angle with the bisecting line 9 .
  • said axial symmetry makes it possible to simplify the numeric representation of the three-dimensional object that is used to plan the path of the light beam 6 during the actual construction of the object itself.
  • the logic control unit 19 is configured in such a way that the operating area 10 has a circular shape, concentric with said circumference 16 .
  • the configuration just described above makes it possible to minimize the maximum distance z max between the operating area 10 and the focal surface 12 and, thus, makes it possible to reduce the maximum size of the spot with the same surface area of the operating area 10 .
  • the result just mentioned above is obtained by arranging the focal surface 12 so that the spot has its maximum surface area simultaneously at the level of the centre and of the perimeter of the operating area 10 .
  • defining a circular operating area 10 means excluding the parts of the incidence area 8 arranged at the level of the vertices, thus considerably reducing said maximum distance z max .
  • the circular operating area 10 is defined in such a way that it is inscribed in the incidence area 8 , as schematically shown in FIG. 5 , thus maximizing the surface area of the operating area 10 for a given incidence area 8 and exploiting the resolution of the light reflecting device 7 as much as possible.
  • the most commonly used machines of known type are provided with a light reflecting device that operates on an angular amplitude of 40° and with a F-theta lens with focal length equal to 160 mm.
  • This combination provides an operating area 20 measuring 110 ⁇ 110 mm and a circular spot whose diameter is equal to approximately 40 ⁇ m.
  • the applicant who is filing the present invention could obtain a circular operating area 10 with diameter equal to 180 mm and a spot with diameter equal to approximately 60 ⁇ m.
  • FIG. 5 qualitatively expresses that which has been described above.
  • the operating area 10 is considerably larger than the operating area 20 of the known machine, though being smaller than the incidence area 8 .
  • the reduced cost of the machine of the invention makes the latter particularly suited to be used in a wider range of sectors than those strictly professional or industrial for which the machines of known type are intended, precisely those sectors in which the main requisite to be met is the cost of the machine, while definition is considered of secondary importance.
  • said F-theta lens is much more expensive than the F-theta lens of the previous case and, furthermore, makes it possible to obtain a spot in a size that in any case can be compared to that obtainable with said machine of the invention.
  • the diameter of the operating area 10 is preferably included between 170 mm and 190 mm. Said interval is suitable for a wide range of applications and, furthermore, makes it possible to obtain a definition and an operating area that can be compared to those obtainable with said F-theta lens with a focal length equal to approximately 250 mm, but at a considerably lower cost.
  • the specific configuration of the optical unit and of the light emitting unit makes it possible to drastically reduce the cost of the machine compared to the machines of known type, making the machine suitable for use in a wider range of sectors and not only in the professional or industrial sectors.
  • said configuration makes it also possible to make the size of the operating area independent of a specific optical unit, thus increasing flexibility in the design of the machine and allowing the operating area to be widened without excessively increasing the cost of the machine.

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US11014302B2 (en) * 2017-05-11 2021-05-25 Seurat Technologies, Inc. Switchyard beam routing of patterned light for additive manufacturing

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IL247197A0 (en) 2016-09-29
SG11201606626PA (en) 2016-09-29
RU2016137496A3 (de) 2018-04-02
CN106061715B (zh) 2018-06-19
TWI622488B (zh) 2018-05-01
KR20160124137A (ko) 2016-10-26
EP3110614A1 (de) 2017-01-04
RU2016137496A (ru) 2018-04-02
WO2015128783A1 (en) 2015-09-03
TW201532790A (zh) 2015-09-01
KR101931008B1 (ko) 2018-12-19
EP3110614B1 (de) 2020-02-19

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